Not so Bad
by parallelecho
Summary: Working on some homework in a local cafe, you meet someone new. Reader x Edward (any gender)


A/N: To be honest, I got really burnt out nearing the end part. Please tell me what you think!

Typing. Lots and lots of typing. And while it wasn't the only noise that could be heard in the busy coffee shop, it sure as Hell was a prominent one. Dozens upon dozens of students were pounding away on their keyboards, writing essays, and projects, and assignments, and papers of all sort, you included.

You were pretty lucky to have found a table, actually. You had been here a few hours already, clicking away on your computer.

Granted, you were probably a bit better off than most of the other students there. You've seen a few of them chug their double espressos, and even one guy pour his energy drink into his coffee. You felt infinitely grateful you didn't need the caffeine, as you had a decent sleep the night before.

That is not to say you do not have a drink, oh no, you certainly did. Your favorite, in fact, green tea with a touch of honey. Even just thinking about it made your mouth water a little, and with that, you stopped typing your work to reach for the tumbler.

Picking it up, you could automatically tell it was empty. Letting out a quiet "hmph", you pushed your chair back as you stood.

As you walked up to the front, you placed your cup onto the counter and rang the bell. While you were waiting for service, you heard the shop door open. You were silently hoping it was one of your friends, and turned your head to find that it was actually someone you didn't know at all.

The stranger wore a red pull-over and black jeans, with golden hair pulled back into a braid. The man's stature was over-all on the short side, but he was very well built. His yellow eyes scanned the cafe, before smiling and walking towards a table.

Your knees felt a little weak at his grin, as you watched him walk away. You didn't even realize you were staring until you saw a hand waving in front of your face.

"Hello? Anyone in there?"

Blinking rapidly, you quickly moved your gaze to the voice.

The voice belonged to Riza, a barista that you favored. She always made your tea perfectly. Oh, that's right, your tea.

"Are you alright?" Riza inquired, "I called your name a few times. Working too hard, you think? Need a break?" You shook your head "no".

"I'm alright, Riza, thanks. Just daydreaming" You dug into your pocket and pulled out a crumpled five dollar bill. "I really need a refill, though. My usual, please?" you held out the money towards her.

"Coming right up." She smiled, and took the cash from your hand. She quickly made change for you, then took your tumbler to start making the drink.

You added the change she gave you to the tip jar, and leaned against the counter. Your eyes drifted towards the man who walked in earlier, and you suddenly found the ceiling very interesting. And then the floor. And then the ceiling again. The pattern continued. You didn't want to be rude and stare again, but for some reason you couldn't help it.

After a small debate with yourself, you decided to look once more, then turn your back to him once and for all.

You tried very hard to look at him discreetly, but failed. The first thing you noticed about him was that he was getting up from his chair and...Walking right towards you.

Your cheeks felt very warms, and you knew they were red. You quickly turned back to the counter and hoped he wasn't coming over.

Just then, Riza handed the tumbler back to you. "There you go! Hope you enjoy it!" You took it from her and muttered a quiet "thank you". You just wanted to get out of here, back to your table, and finish your stupid project so you could leave. You pivoted on your heels and marched forward as fast as you could.

"Oh, wait! I forget to tell you, it's very hot and I didn't screw the lid on all the way to let it cool off and-!"

Riza had spoke too late, you had already collided with a body in front of you. You were going too fast, and you hadn't even noticed anyone (probably because you were looking at the ground, oops.), and oh my gosh, this was bad. Really, really bad. You could already smell the sticky, sweet tea as it covered the floor. You were just about to stutter out an apology when you noticed who it was you bumped into.

It was the man in the red pullover, oh no, this is worse. A million times worse, in fact, it just keeps getting worse and-

"Yum, green tea and honey, my favorite." Apparently, the man could smell the tea, too. "And no milk!" he said, and wow does his voice sound nice on your ears.

"Sorry about that smashing into you like that, should have been watching where I was going." he apologized with a small grin, and just like that you felt your face get even hotter. Your jaw was locked tightly, and your body was incredibly tense.

Riza came around the counter with a handful of napkins and a mop, she handed the napkins to the man then started mopping up the spilt drink.

"I'm so sorry about that," She apologized, "I should have just screwed the lid on. Is your shirt ruined, Edward?"

'Edward...' You thought, 'what a great name.'

"Nope! It's fine, Riza! But I think you owe me one, anyway" The man joked, as he scrubbed his pullover.

"Oh!" Riza remembered, snapping her fingers, "speaking of that, I'll go make another tea for you." She rushed back behind the counter and put the mop away before you could even answer.

You sighed deeply, everything happened so fast, you could barely react at all. It was then that you realized you were still holding your incredibly sticky tumbler. You carefully started your way to the bathroom, not wanting to get your hands any stickier.

"Wait!" You halted. It was Edward.

"Sorry about all that again, I ruined a perfectly good cup of tea." He rubbed the back of his neck apologetically, "But I tell you what..." He looked around for a second, before grabbing the chained pen on the counter.

"Here, lemme see your hand." He motioned for you to come closer. You could feel your cheeks heat up again, and hesitantly reached your least sticky hand out. He gently took it by the wrist and started writing on the back of your hand. He placed the pen back, while you looked at where he wrote. It was a phone number.

"Sorry I can't do it right now, I have to pick up my little brother from the library. But give me a call next time you're in here and I'll treat you to tea and a dessert!" And with that, he was out the door. Everything had once again happened too fast for you to really react, or argue. And you were okay with that.

Looking down at the number on your hand, you thought 'Okay...So maybe this wasn't so bad.'


End file.
